Ascend Learning and Innovation Fund in Africa

Ascend Learning and Innovation Fund in Africa

The Ascend West and Central Africa programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), is excited to announce a new cycle for the learning and innovation fund to accelerate the control and elimination efforts for up to five neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) – lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminths and trachoma.

The fund sits within the three-year Ascend West and Central Africa programme, which is an integrated programme aiming to make major progress towards eliminating these painful and poverty-trapping NTDs.

The programme will deliver more than 400 million treatments, helping several countries to make significant progress, in line with the WHO 2030 NTD Roadmap.

The fund seeks to enhance the quality of effective NTD programming by validating innovative ideas and assisting the transition of programme learning into scalable and sustainable outcomes.

The fund offers the opportunity to be creative and do things differently – to explore innovations, respond to emerging gaps, solve identified needs, and transition operational findings into scalable programming.

What does the Innovation Fund offer?

The Ascend Learning and Innovation Fund offers applicants the opportunity to: